Air driven fluid pump



Jan. 13, 1970 D. C. HILL 3,489,100

AIR DRIVEN FLUID PUMP Filed Deo. 15, 1967 fir/GJ.

United States Patent O 3,489,100 AIR DRIVEN FLUID PUMP David C. Hill, Pasadena, Calif., assignor to Haskel Engineering & Supply Co., Burbank, Calif., a corporation of California Filed Dec. 13, 1967, Ser. No. 690,185 Int. Cl. F15b 13/10 U.S. Cl. 103-207 5 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE The invention is a reciprocating piston for driving a pump that is powered by fluid such as air as well as by hand. It can be operated by power and manually simultaneously. The power operation may be by way of an air cylinder with a manual operating lever attached to the stem of the air cylinder. The pump is useful for many applications but particularly for jacking operations wherein ordinarily it is necessary to have a separate hand pump in the event of an air compressor failure or in the event no compressed air power is available. The herein invention makes it unnnecessary to have two different pumps, thus realizing economy in equipment and space, together with simplifying maintenance over that required for two separate units.

When the pump is driven by air it can be cycled at a desired higher rate, which is not possible manually, thus producing the required flow. On the other hand, manual operation gives more precise control of volume and/or pressure. In using both power and manual drive simultaneously air power can relieve the operator of much of the total load required, giving him even more precise control.

The invention relates to the field of fluid pumps and the improvement of the invention is a combination comprising a fluid pump provided with power drive along with manual drive or manual operating means. In a preferred form of the invention as described herein a fluid pump is power driven by means of an air cylinder althoungh other power means might be used.

The fluid pump is a reciprocating piston pump which, with the combination of the invention, is powered by air or by hand or both simultaneously.

The -combination of the invention has many advantages as will be made clear hereinafter. Realization of these advantages constitutes objects of the invention.

The invention is adapted to various different applications among which an important one is that in the field of jacking. In most jacking operations employing power drive such as an air driven pump, it is necessary to have a separate hand pump in the event of an air compressor failure, or in the event the area or location has no compressed air power available. The herein invention avoids the necessity of having two different pumps thus realizing economy in equipment and space, in addition to simplifying maintenance which is, of course greater where two separate units are required. The realization of these advantages constitutes primary object of the invention.

Among other typical applications of the invention are static or burst testing. Power drive by Way of a cylinder can be used for filling, bleeding and initial pressurization. Manual drive or power, with or without the air assist provides for precise control of final pressure, and further manual control prevents pump runaway when and if burst occurs. The realization of these advantages constitutes further objects of the invention.

Additional typical applications of the invention, in addition to jacking previously referred to, are in the areas of pressing, stretching, clamping or forming. Operations 'ice of this type require a large volume of air at low pressure for initial daylight closing or the equivalent followed by a low volume at high pressure for the final portion of the operation. The combination of the herein invention permits use of a relatively large plunger giving high volume. The final high pressure can advantageously be obtained by using air and manual power simultaneously.

Other typical applications of the invention are applications or operations requiring precise positioning. Some of the operations referred to in the foregoing are the type which frequently require inching, or precise positioning at the end of the operation. By means of the hand pump as described herein, with or without air assist, precise control can be achieved. Thev realization of this advantage constitutes a further object of the invention.

Further objects and additional advantages of the invention will become apparent from the -following detailed description and the annexed drawings wherein:

FIGURE l is a view partly in section of a preferred form of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a sectional view of the form of the invention shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a diagramatic View illustrating the automatic operation of the air cylinder of the equipment.

Referring now more particularly to FIGURES 1 and 2 of the drawings the equipment comprises a generally upright cylindrical body 10. The fluid pump and its valves are in the lower part of this body; the air cylinder is in the intermediate part of it; and the manually actuated stem is in the upper part of the body. Numeral 12 designates a cylindrical mmeber at the upper part of the body 10. The cylindrical member 12 has a central bore 14 which is a cylinder or a sleeve 16 having a head 18 and the upper part of which adjacent to the head is threaded into the upper end of the bore 14. The sleeve 16 has a bore 22. The lower part of the sleeve 16 is of slightly smaller diameter so as to be spaced from the sidewalls of the bore 14 as 'may be seen at 26. The sleeve 1-6 has a skirt 28 at the lower end of a diameter which is intermediate to that of the bore 22 and the bore 14. Below the end of the sleeve 16 is a sealing O-ring 30 in annular groove 31 in cylindrical stem 40. On the outside of sleeve 16 is an annular groove below the threaded portion 20 and received in this groove is a sealing O-ring 34.

Fitting 'within the bore 22 of sleeve 16 is the cylindrical stem 40 which connects to the air cylinder as will be described. At the upper end of the stem 40 is a socket 42 which receives a ball 44 on the end of a link 46 which connects to the manual operating handle, as will be described. Stem 40 is sealed in bore 22 by O-ring 39 in annular groove 41.

Secured to the cylindrical member 12 is a frame member 50 having an upstanding intermediate part forming a yoke having legs 52 and 54 adjacent to square shoulders 56 and S8. The member 50 is attached to the member 12 by stud bolts 62 and 64 having nuts 66 and 68 at one end and nuts 67 and 69 at the lower ends.

Numeral 74 designates the manual operating handle, which preferably is round, with the end bifurcated to provide a slot 76 between two legs 80 and 82. These legs fit between the legs 52 and 54 and are pivotally secured thereto by the transverse pivot bolt 88 having a nut 90. The link 46 extends in between the legs 80 and 82 and is pivotally secured thereto by means of the pivot pin 94.

The pilot valve mechanism for operating the air cylinder is embodied in the member 12 as Will be described.

Numeral designates a cylindrical member at the lower part of the body 10, this member being of the same diameter as the member 12. Between the member 12 and 100 is a cylinder 102. The upper end of this cylinder fits into an annular shoulder 104 at the lower part of the member 12 and the lower end of the cylinder 102 ts into an annular shoulder 106 at the upper end of the cylindrical part 100. The upper end of the cylinder 102 is sealed to the part 12 by way of O-ring 108 and the lower end of the cylinder 102 is sealed to the member 100 by O-ring 110.

The air cylinder piston is designated at 116 and reciprocates within the cylinder 102. At its periphery there is an annular groove 118 in which is a sealing O-ring 120. An annular recess or depression 122 is provided in the lower side of the piston 116 and fitting in this depression is a disc 126 configurated to complementarily engage the recess 122. The piston 116 has a central bore 130 through which the stem extends. On the end of this stem is a disc 132 which is secured to a similar disc 134 OI! the upper end of the stem 136 of the uid piston, that is the piston of the pump. The lower cylindrical member 100 has in its upper end an annular groove 140 the outer wall of which is parallel to the axis of the assembly and the inner wall which tapers inwardly as shown. Within the cylinder 102 is a coil spring 144, the upper end of which bears against the disc 126 and the lower end of which is seated in the bottom of the annular groove 140. When the piston 116 moves down it moves against the force of this spring.

In the center of the lower cylindrical member 100 is an axial bore 150. In this bore is the fluid pump cylinder 152. The stem 136 moves through a cylindrical yoke member 154 which is in the bore 150. Numeral 156 designates an annular groove in the sidewall of the bore 150 adjacent to the yoke 154 and in this annular groove is a sealing O-ring 158. The cylindrical yoke 154 itself has a bore 1-60 and in this bore is a sealing gasket 162. The pump cylinder 152 has an annular ange 164 spaced from its end forming a square shoulder, and the yoke 154 engages this cylinder, its lower end tting against the square shoulder at the upper end of the piston. The pump cylinder 152 has a cylindrical bore 168 in which piston 136 moves. The end of the pump cylinder bore 150 is closed by the plug 170 having a threaded part 172 threaded into a threaded part 174 at the end of the bore 150 of a slightly larger diameter, the part 170 having a bore 176. Plug 170 is sealed by O-ring 175 and it bears against cylinder 152 holding the parts in position.

The fluid pump is provided with inlet and outlet check valves so that fluid which may be gas or liquid is drawn in on the suction stroke and compressed and forced out on the pressure stroke. In one side of the cylindrical member 100 there is a threaded bore 180 which receives a threaded nipple 182 having a threaded part 184. The nipple 182 has an outer tapered threaded bore 185 communicating with cylindrical bore 186. Spaced inwardly from the inner end of the nipple 182 is a bore 190 having in it a member 192 having a valve part 194 having orices 195 and having a skirt part 198 forming a spring retainer for a biasing spring 202, the other end of which is positioned against a bore 203 of smaller diameter at the end of the bore 190. The bore 203 communicates with the bore 150 in which the piston 152 operates.

On the opposite side of the cylindrical member 100 there is a similar nipple, 182', which is similar to the nipple 182 in construction. There is asimilar valve member 192-194 positioned so that this check valve openates as an outlet valve. Valve 194' communicates with bore 150, the parts of this assembly being similar to the corresponding parts on the opposite side but being arranged to form an outlet or exhaust check valve.

FIGURE 3 illustrates schematically a preferred arrangement for automatically operating the air cylinder piston 116. It should be pointed out, however, that other arrangements may be utilized for driving this piston and such arrangements may be -made like that in Patent No. 3,174,409 wherein a spool-type of pilot valve mechanism is utilized for controlling an air cylinder. In FIGURE 3 in the part 12 of the assembly there is provided a transverse bore 220 communicating with a larger bore 222. Positioned in these bores is a shuttle valve 224 having a smaller part 226 in the smaller bore and a larger 228 in` the larger bore. The end part of the smaller portion 226 is of larger diameter having in it an annular groove 232 in which is a sealing O-ring 234. This part of the shuttle valve 224 has an internal bore 240 connecting with a larger internal bore 242 in the part 228 of the shuttle valve of larger diameter. The shuttle valve at the right end looking at FIGURE 3 has an extending part 244 of smaller diameter forming a square annular shoulder 246. In the part of larger diameter there is an annular groove 248 in which is a sealing O-ring 250.

Formed in the bore 220 is a groove 251 communicating with a channel 252 in the portion 12 which connects with the interior of the cylinder 102. Numeral 254 designates a :channel formed in the part 12 which communicates with the bore 220 as shown. In the sidewall of the smaller part of the shuttle valve 226 is a channel 256 allowing communication to bore 240 within the shuttle valve. Formed in the extending end 244 of the shuttle valve is a channel 258 which allows communication from the bore 242 within the shuttle valve to the annular space formed between the annular shoulder 246 of the shuttle valve and the bore 222.

The operation of the shuttle valve in automatically controlling the operation of the piston 116 will now be described. Pressure from any suitable source is provided by channel 254 to the'shuttle valve. The interior of the bore 222 is referred to herein as the control chamber. The shuttle valve moves between two positions as shown in FIGURE 3 in full lines and broken lines. At all times in mid stroke of the piston 116, that is, whenever it is between its extreme positions, the control chamber, that is the space within the bore 222 communicates with the 'space within the cylinder 102 above the piston 116. This communication is by way of channel 260 into the space around the lower part 26 of the sleeve 18 which has a diameter smaller than the bore 14. The stem 40 is of smaller diameter than the bore 262 so that air from the control chamber passes down into the `space above the piston 1.16. The sequence of operation is as follows: The solid line position of the shuttle valve is the pump stroke position. The high pressure enters through the channel 254 and passes around the part 226 of the shuttle valve of smaller diameter through the channel 252 into the chamber above the piston 16 forcing it down in its pump stroke. Stem 40 moves down and when O-ring 39 passes below the end of bore 14 the air in the control chamber is exhausted through the bore 22 in sleeve 18 above O- ring seal 39. The pressure in bore 220 around the part of shuttle valve 227 of smaller diameter acting against the part of the shuttle valve of larger diameter shifts it to the right to the dotted line position which is the suction stroke position. In this position the interior of cylinder 102 above the piston 116 is open to exhaust through the channel 252 to atmosphere. The stem 40 in moving up causes the O-ring to seal the channel adjacent the end of the Iskirt 28 on the stem 18. Incoming pressure through channel 254 leads through the channel 256 into the control chamber within the shuttle valve and causes the shuttle valve to again be shifted to the left into the full line position to repeat the action.

From the foregoing those who are skilled in the art will fully understand the nature and construction of the invention, its operation, and the manner in which it achieves and realizes all of the objects as set forth in the foregoing.

The foregoing disclosure is representative of a preferred form of the invention and is to be interpreted within an illustrative rather than a limiting manner and the invention to be accorded the full scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. Pump means comprising a cylinder having a piston therein, said piston having a stem, power means for operating the pump comprising a cylinder having a piston therein and means for supplying luid pressure for operating said piston, and for releasing fluid pressure, spring means for moving said fluid operated piston in one direction, and additional manually operated means cooperable with said fluid operated piston whereby said fluid operated piston and manual operating means may be moved in one direction against the said spring and the fluid operated piston and manual operating means can be moved in the other direction by the spring whereby luid power, and manual power can be selectively applied simultaneously or -separately for purposes of precise control of the actuation of the pump.

2. Pump means as in claim 1 wherein the uid supplied is air pressure, the `supply means comprising a reciprocatable control valve which is shifted by air pressure controlling the supply and release of air pressure, and further valve means actuatable by the iluid piston controlling said reciprocatable valve.

3. Pump means as in claim 2 wherein said furthervalve comprises a lstern extending from the fluid operated piston Aassociated with ports whereby to control pressure for positioning said reciprocatable control valve.

4. Pump means as in claim 2 wherein said reciprocatable control valve comprises a spool member having areas of diierent diameters one of which is Within a chamber in which pressure is controlled by said further valve means for causing fluid pressure to be applied to and released from rsaid spool member.

5. Pump means as in claim 4 wherein said further valve means comprises a stem extending from the fluid operated piston associated with ports whereby to control pressure in said chamber.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 142,092 8/ 1873 Earle 103-207 3,141,415 7/1964 Chute 103-207 XR 3,143,928 8/ 1964 Wahlstrom 91-391 3,354,641 11/1967 Halvern 91-391 XR ROBERT M. WALKER, Primary Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 91--391 

